Firefox 81 for Android launches a new very practical option: the automatic closing of tabs that you no longer visit after a specified period of time. The feature, which is off by default, can help you tidy up your browser.
Firefox 81 is currently in public beta - a stable version is expected to launch later this month. What to talk about a new feature spotted by our colleagues at gHacks.
The next version of the browser will indeed have an option that allows you to automatically close tabs that you no longer consult after a specified period of time (a day, a week or a month). Those who like to accumulate tabs all the time may be reassured: the option is disabled by default.
Firefox 81: Mozilla tackles the problem of accumulating open tabs
To take advantage of it, you have to browse the browser
preferences where you will now find this new option to close the tabs. Once configured, your tabs will close automatically after the defined duration if, and only if, you have not viewed them in the meantime. An operation reminiscent of a similar functionality in the Safari browser on iPhone.
The purpose of the option is twofold: to lower RAM usage while improving the user experience.
It is indeed very easy to let yourself be invaded by tabs. In some cases, this may be desired by the user - although there are much better options for organizing your research. We can talk about bookmarks, which allow you to save pages for later consultation and organize them in folders for greater clarity. In others, the build-up results from simply forgetting to close open tabs.
These two scenarios lead to the same result: a mass of pages that you may have forgotten until their reason for being still open ...
Note if you activate this option: automatically closed tabs are generally not lost permanently as long as your browsing history is activated and configured not to erase itself at too short intervals. For now, the option is only available in the latest beta version of Firefox 81. To take advantage of it, nothing could be easier: just download the APK of the last beta from the Play Store via the link following :